New Testament in a Year

The Resurrection

Chapter 24

Jesus Rises from the Dead.^{[a] 1} At daybreak on the first day of the week, the women came to the tomb with the spices they had prepared. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they went inside, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

⁴ While they stood there wondering about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes appeared at their side. ⁵ They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look among the dead for one who is alive? ⁶ He is not here. He has been raised. Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee: ⁷ that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified and rise again on the third day.” ⁸ Then they recalled his words.

⁹ When they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹ However, this story of theirs seemed to be nonsense, and the apostles did not believe them. ¹² Nonetheless, Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he looked inside and saw only the linen cloths. Then he returned home, wondering what had occurred.

¹³ Jesus Appears to Two Disciples at Emmaus.^[b] Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they were talking with each other about all these things that had occurred. ¹⁵ While they were conversing and discussing these events, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them, ¹⁶ but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing with each other as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces filled with sadness. ¹⁸ Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who is not aware of all the things that have taken place there in these days?” ¹⁹ When he asked, “What things?” they replied, “The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in word and deed before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death and had him crucified.

²¹ “We had been hoping that he would be the one who would redeem Israel. And what is more, this is the third day since all of this took place. ²² Some women from our group have now given us astounding news. They went to the tomb early this morning, ²³ but they failed to find his body. When they returned, they told us that they had seen a vision of angels who reported that he was alive. ²⁴ Some of our companions went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him.”

²⁵ Then he said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the Prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷ Then, beginning with Moses and going through all the Prophets, he interpreted for them all the passages from the Scriptures that pertained to him.

²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going, he acted as though he would be going further. ²⁹ However, they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” And so he went in to stay with them.

³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

³³ They set out immediately and returned to Jerusalem, where they found gathered together the Eleven and their companions ³⁴ who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised, and he has appeared to Simon!”^{[c] 35} Then the two described what had happened on their journey and how he had made himself known to them in the breaking of the bread.